Hokkaido (Hokkaido)

Hokkaido is the northern island of Japan. Hokkaido is full of nature, including world natural heritage site Shiretoko Peninsula, having abundant wildlife of both plants and animals. It’s also famous for fresh seafood including crabs and sea urchins, with many domestic and international tourists visiting the area. In Winter, ski resorts such as Niseko and Furano are crowded by skiers from all over the world seeking powder snow.

Tohoku (Tohoku)

Tohoku region is located on the northern part of Honshu, surrounded by the sea on three sides. Tohoku is famous for beautiful coastlines such as Sanriku coast and Matsushima, and also for its fresh seafood. Hot spring of Tohoku have been health and healing sanitariums for decades, and the rustic hot springs are still very popular. The golden hall of Chusonji in Hiraizumi (a wealthy town 1000years ago) is a masterpiece.

Kanto (Kanto)

Kanto region has Japan’s capital city of Tokyo with a population of over 10 million. It’s surrounded by large cities such as Yokohama and is the most developed region within the country. It has a mix of modern commercial districts such as Shibuya and Roppongi as well as downtown areas of Asakusa. Historical structures of Nikko and spectacular scenery of Mt Fuji from Hakone provides a variety of places to be enjoyed by tourists.

Chubu (Chubu)

Chubu is located in the centre of Japan. A large part of this area is covered by mountains as high as 3000 meters and due to this mountainous landscape, it’s also called the “Japan Alps”. Jigokudani Onsen where the snow monkeys bath in hot springs, the historical streets of Kanazawa and Takayama are all part of the Chubu region.

Kansai (Kansai)

Kansai region includes Kyoto, the most popular tourist destination of Japan. Kyoto was the former capital of Japan, and its history and culture, temples and shrines, and traditional buildings attract both domestic and international tourists. The autumn colors of Kyoto are absolutely amazing. Osaka, the second largest city of Japan is also located in Kinki, and has become the entry point for foreign tourists into Japan alongside Tokyo.

Chugoku (Chugoku)

Chugoku region is located on the western part of Honshu. A popular tourist destination is Hiroshima. Hiroshima is famous for Itsukushima Shrine and floating Torii gates of Miyajima, as well as the A-bomb dome, Peace Park and Museum. One of the highest ranking shrines in Japan - Izumo Taisha, the picturesque town of Kurashiki, and the limestone cave of Akiyoshido are all part of Chugoku region.

Shikoku (Shikoku)

Shikoku consists of as four prefectures and is one of the four islands that make up Japan. Shikoku is famous for the Shimanami Kaido that allows bicycle access across islands of the Seto inlet, the whirl pools of Naruto and Kagawa’s famous shrine, Kotohiragu. In recent years, the pilgrim journey (Ohenro) around the 88 temples scattered across Shikoku has become a popular activity for international travelers.

Kyushu & Okinawa (Kyushu & Okinawa)

Kyushu region is the far west island and its surrounding islands including Okinawa. Kyushu has many places to visit including the largest city Fukuoka, one of the best hotsprings of Japan - Beppu Onsen, and the impressive black colored Kumamoto Castle. Okinawa has the blue sea and colorful coral reefs with a variety of marine life to enjoy.

The JR West Rail Pass: An affordable and convenient way to visit Okayama and Hiroshima from Osaka!

Hi there everyone! I’m Yoojin, one of the editors. I think a lot of the Japan Hoppers readers out there are probably aware of the “Japan Rail Pass” which lets you ride all the JR Shinkansen and JR local lines in Japan as much as you want, but do you know about the “JR West Rail Pass” which can only be used on the JR West lines? In this article we’re going to cover the convenient “Kansai WIDE Area Pass” for traveling from Kansai to Okayama, as well as the “Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass” for traveling all the way to Hiroshima and Yamaguchi ☺

What’s the JR West Rail Pass?

The JR West Rail Pass is an all-you-can-ride railway pass issued by the West Japan Railway Company, intended for overseas visitors to Japan. Within the all-you-can-ride area, you can ride the JR West Shinkansen trains or JR local lines, including lines such as the express train “Haruka-go” which connects Kansai International Airport to the Osaka/Kyoto areas.

In this article, we’ll be introducing the “Kansai WIDE Area Pass” which is convenient for trips from Kansai to Okayama, as well as the “Kansai - Hiroshima Area Pass” which allows you to go all the way to Hiroshima and Yamaguchi. However, within the range covered by the JR West Rail Pass, there are 14 types of passes covering various ranges of use. (The image below shows a few of them. Click on the image to open the JR West homepage⇗)

Let’s check out sightseeing spots that you can visit using the passes!

To help you figure out which pass is perfect for your trip, let’s first have a look at things to see in the areas covered by the passes. The pass validity range includes places such as the Kansai area, which includes popular tourist destinations like Osaka and Kyoto, the Okayama area which contains Okayama Koraku-en and the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter. It also includes the Hiroshima area which includes the National Heritage Site of Itsukushima and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome.) Click on the pictures to take a look at areas and spots you’re interested in.

In addition to the valid range of the Kansai WIDE Area Pass, the Kansai – Hiroshima Area Pass is an all-you-can-ride pass that offers you the freedom to ride the Sanyo Shinkansen), Rapid, Special Rapid, and local trains within the included areas of Hiroshima and Yamaguchi. This pass is all you need to see all of Hiroshima’s iconic sightseeing spots, as it also includes usage of the “JR West Miyajima Ferry” which connects JR Miyajimaguchi Station and Miyajima.

*You cannot use the Tokaido Shinkansen running between Shin-Osaka and Kyoto with this pass. (This is because the Tokaido Shinkansen is operated by the Central Japan Railway Company.) If you would like to travel between Shin-Osaka and Kyoto using the pass, the most convenient method is via the Kyoto line (~24 minutes to arrival)

How do I buy the pass?

This pass is a service that can be purchased ONLY by travelers possessing a passport from a government other than Japan and whose residency status falls under the category of “short-term stay.” There are three methods of purchase: you can make purchase arrangements yourself via the internet, via a travel agency, or purchase directly from a JR station where they are sold. Please consider the following in order to help yourself find the way that suits you.

-Purchasing inside Japan

For purchasing after you’ve arrived in Japan, visit the ticket window of any of the following JR stations. When purchasing, you will have to present your passport and fill out a form with required information such as the starting date of your trip, etc.

Is the pass a good deal?

For those of you visiting Japan for the first time, you’re probably not sure if this price is really a good deal, right? How good of a deal are you really getting? First of all, if you were to take a roundtrip between Shin-Osaka and Okayama Stations via the Sanyo Shinkansen without using a pass, you would pay 11,000JPY (*as of March 2018.) On the other hand, the pass is 9,000JPY for five days of all-you-can-ride. Even if you were to take just one roundtrip, using the pass keeps your costs down. What about a trip between Shin-Osaka Station and Hiroshima Station via the Sanyo Shinkansen? That roundtrip would cost 19,420JPY (*as of March 2018) so again, using the pass is definitely the better deal.

Use the affordable and convenient JR West Rail Pass!

There are tons of charming areas within the Kansai area, and if you’ve come all the way to stay in Japan, why not try this convenient pass to go a little out of your way and visit Okayama or Hiroshima? For more detailed information regarding the pass, please have a look at JR West’s official website(English、繁體中文、簡体中文、한국어).

West Japan Railway Company (JR-West) was formed with the split-up and privatization of Japanese National Railways in April 1987. In addition to its mainly rail-based transportation business serving 18 prefectures in the western half of the island of Honshu and the northern tip of the island of Kyushu, we also engage in businesses such as retail and real estate.